President Vo Van Thuong attends the ceremony to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Lao Cai

On the morning of September 23, President Vo Van Thuong attended and spoke at the ceremony commemorating the 65th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Lao Cai province (September 23, 1958 - September 23, 2023).

President Vo Van Thuong and other Party and State leaders and delegates at the ceremony to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Lao Cai province. (Source: VNA)

Also attending were Secretary of the Party Central Committee, Head of the Central Propaganda Department Nguyen Trong Nghia; Member of the Party Central Committee, Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha and representatives of leaders of a number of central departments, ministries and branches.

Lao Cai is a mountainous, border province - the national "fence", where the Red River flows into Vietnam, with the "roof of Indochina" - Fansipan peak on the majestic Hoang Lien Son range.

During his lifetime, Uncle Ho always had special love and care for the ethnic minorities in the Northwest in general and Lao Cai in particular. He repeatedly sent letters of praise and encouragement to cadres, people, and soldiers of the armed forces of Lao Cai... for their achievements in labor, production, and study.

In particular, when visiting Lao Cai from September 23-24, 1958, Uncle Ho advised the Party Committee and ethnic people of Lao Cai to: Unite closely; increase production; ensure order and security; preserve traditional customs; He wished that "the people, soldiers and cadres of our province strive to compete to make our province more prosperous and happy".

Over the past 65 years, following his teachings, the Party Committee and the people of all ethnic groups in Lao Cai have always been united, striving to build Lao Cai more and more prosperous. After more than 30 years of re-establishing the province, from a land devastated by war, one of the 6 poorest provinces in the country, Lao Cai has become the leading locality in the Northwest region, a developed province in the Northern Midlands and Mountains region.

The average economic growth rate in the period 1991-2022 reached nearly 10%. The average GRDP per capita reached nearly 90 million VND/year, ranking among the top in the midland and mountainous provinces of the North.

On behalf of the Party and State leaders, President Vo Van Thuong warmly congratulated and commended the achievements that the Party Committee and people of all ethnic groups in Lao Cai have achieved in recent years.

The President said that although Lao Cai's achievements are important, great and comprehensive, they are not yet commensurate with the province's potential and strengths. The economic scale is small, competitiveness is not high; GRDP per capita is low; socio-economic infrastructure is not synchronous; the structure and quality of human resources and environmental protection have not met the requirements of sustainable development.

Resources for implementing social security, job creation, and health care for the people are still limited; cultural institutions are still lacking in synchronization. People's lives, especially in mountainous and border areas, still face many difficulties.

The poverty rate is high, and the income gap between urban and rural areas is large. Border security, rural security, ethnic security, and religious security in some areas still have potential factors that cause instability. Some leaders of Lao Cai have made regrettable mistakes and violations.

Stating that the 65th anniversary of Uncle Ho's visit to Lao Cai is an important event, adding strength to the Party Committee and people of Lao Cai's ethnic groups to strive to fulfill the set goals and tasks, the President requested that every cadre, party member, and ethnic group in Lao Cai province always remember and absorb Uncle Ho's teachings of strategic thinking and foresight when he visited his home province; better understand Uncle Ho's feelings for the ethnic groups in Lao Cai and the feelings of the Lao Cai people towards their beloved Uncle.

The President said: "In particular, it is necessary to concretize Uncle Ho's teachings to suit the new situation and practical conditions, associated with the implementation of the resolutions of the 13th National Party Congress, the 16th National Party Congress of the province, with studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle, striving to build Lao Cai into a well-off province of the country by 2030, and a developed province of the country by 2045 so that every day, every month, through labor, work, study and national defense, Lao Cai will have more typical and advanced collective and individual examples in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and lifestyle".

President Vo Van Thuong offers incense at Uncle Ho's Memorial House in Lao Cai. (Source: VNA)

Along with that, it is necessary to focus on promoting socio-economic development, improving people's lives; enhancing the application of science and technology, unleashing all potentials and advantages of the province, building Lao Cai into a growth pole of the Northern Midlands and Mountains region - a center for economic trade connection between Vietnam and ASEAN countries with the Southwest region of China; a key point for tourism development, border gate services, metallurgical industry, chemicals, and medicinal development of the region and the whole country.

Pay more attention to preserving and promoting the noble cultural values ​​of ethnic groups, building a new life, eliminating backward customs; taking care of people's health; striving to further reduce the number of poor households, improving people's living standards, so that "the province becomes more prosperous and happy" as Uncle Ho wished.

The President noted that Lao Cai must pay special attention to and strengthen good management of resources, environmental protection, natural disaster prevention and control, rescue, and minimize the consequences of natural disasters on people and property of the state and people.

Pay attention to planting trees and protecting forests, especially old-growth forests, headwater forests, primary forests, Hoang Lien National Park, Bat Xat Nature Reserve, protecting rivers running through Lao Cai..., associated with creating livelihoods for people from developing forestry economy.

Caring for ethnic minorities and people in particularly difficult areas; promoting the exemplary role of cadres and party members, promoting the role of village elders, village chiefs, and prestigious people in the community in building national solidarity; mobilizing and helping people develop the economy, build new rural areas, create a prosperous and happy life, and actively participate in firmly protecting the homeland and country.

In particular, the President requested that Party committees and Party organizations in the province continue to innovate their leadership methods; strengthen Party building and rectification and the political system; attach importance to self-criticism and criticism, promote the exemplary role of cadres, Party members and members of socio-political organizations; tighten discipline and order, strengthen the prevention and fight against corruption and negativity; the collective leadership and leaders must be dynamic, creative, dare to think and dare to act for the common good.

At the ceremony, Lao Cai province commended and rewarded 65 typical examples of progress in studying and following Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality and style.

President Vo Van Thuong visits Lao Cai Province's Ethnic Boarding High School. (Source: VNA)

* Also this morning, September 23, President Vo Van Thuong visited and presented gifts to teachers and students of Lao Cai Province's Boarding High School for Ethnic Minorities - the only school in the province with students from 15 ethnic minorities.

Over the past 31 years, the school has fulfilled its mission and role of educating children of ethnic minorities in the area, becoming a cradle for training human resources for the province. The school currently has 15 classes with 525 students; 60 managers, teachers and staff.

The school has enrolled over 4,000 students from ethnic groups residing in the province; over 3,500 students have graduated from grade 12, of which over 2,000 students are studying at universities and colleges. The school also has 16 students who have won prizes in national competitions for excellent students.

Earlier, President Vo Van Thuong offered incense and visited the Ho Chi Minh Memorial House, which records Uncle Ho's memories when he visited Lao Cai 65 years ago.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/chu-tich-nuoc-vo-van-thuong-du-le-ky-niem-65-nam-ngay-bac-ho-tham-lao-cai-243340.html